Senators Back 'Targeted Sanctions' Against Ukrainian Officials

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Feb. 19, 2014, 8:52 PM GMT

A bipartisan duo is working on a bill to enact “targeted sanctions” against individuals in Ukraine.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement that sanctions should focus on government officials and other persons who have “committed, ordered, or materially supported acts of violence against peaceful citizens in Ukraine, or who are complicit in the rollback of Ukraine’s democracy."

"These sanctions should not, and will not, target the people or the country of Ukraine as a whole. Instead, they will be narrowly focused on those individuals who must be held accountable for violating human rights and undermining democracy," they wrote.

The pair acknowledged that some loss of life has occurred at the hands of protestors but that "the ultimate responsibility for the deteriorating situation in Ukraine lies with the Yanukovich government."